Eko Atlantic City: What Hope for the Common Man

It has been described as the biggest ongoing civil engineering project in the world. A massive architectural masterpiece and modern Masonic edifice to be built on a five million square meter reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean, Eko Atlantic City is no doubt a product of a daring effort targeted at taming the sea and making nature work for humanity. Nothing would have boosted the mega city prospect of Lagos at a time like this other than this Aphrodite rising from the foams of the ocean.

Much had been said about the economic prospects and the innumerable benefits the project holds for the state with experts projecting that it would house 250,000 people and be work place for another 150,000.

Presently, more than 50% of Nigeria’s manufacturing firms are domiciled in Lagos and they are responsible for about 28% of Nigeria’s internally generated revenue.
Lagos is said to be one of the fastest growing cities in the world and has recently been statistically proven to have surpassed Cairo as Africa’s largest city. Thus with the Eko Atlantic project, employment opportunities would surface and the economy would be opened for investment and tourism, all of which in the long term will have a multiplier effect on the State and its inhabitants irrespective of their social strata.

However, the questions on the lips of many considering the poverty rate in the country and the awesome disparity between the rich and the poor are what does this project hold for the estimated 18million residents of Lagos and what hope does it present to the common man on the street?

Many have described the project as an urban edifice designed to benefit the elite class while local residents have criticized the on-going project, claiming that it has caused coastal erosion and ocean surges. It should also be recalled that the PDP once issued a statement blaming the ACN led state government’s sand-filling for the ocean surge. The party called for a stop to the project and immediate compensation to the bereaved families. But the fact still remains that the dividend of good governance are most times not immediate and for it to get to all and sundry, there must be a consistent and mature systemic delivery; thus the individuals who are the object of this are expected to be patient and give the system a chance.

There is no doubt that the Eko Atlantic City project would give Lagos a new face and would improve the viability of doing business in the state which would definitely be a product of the inflow of foreign capital investment. It will be apt to point out that Lagos would be rated alongside global cities like New york, Tokyo, and Dubai if the Atlantic City is seen as part of a comprehensive plan to achieve the mega city status.

The reality though is that only the elite can afford a plot of land or a space in such city when completed. Whilst majority of Lagosians may not be immediate beneficiaries, the benefits would trickle down to every segment of the state in the long term.

Meanwhile, Lagosians are expected to be ready to make good use of the opportunities that come with the Eko Atlantic city and other projects designed to accelerate the development of Lagos, thus helping it become a global hub for development.

As for us, we believe that the Eko Atlantic city on its own cannot fully guarantee good lives for the masses until it is considered as part of a comprehensive plan to achieve all round development for the state. Infrastructure should be improved in other parts of the state and projects such as this should be strategically located in other sections of the state to enhance forward and backward linkages. Only then can the common man on the streets be sure that any project of Eko Atlantic magnitude holds great hope for him.